Improvement in bomb-lances for killing whales



S. BARKER. BOMB LANCE FOR KILLING WHALES.

Patented Feb. 21, 1865.

VIZ/ ases.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SILAS BARKER, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOMB-LANQES FOR KILLING WHALES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 46.437. dated February 21, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SILAS BARKER, of the city of Hartford, county of Hartford, and

- State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Mode of Constructmg the following is a correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in the application and arrangement of a cylindrial shaft and attachments with an adjustable hol- C and stem F and tube E as they appear before being placed in the cylinder Afor action.

Letter A is the hollow iron shaft of the harpoon; B, part of the wooden handle; C, the

hollow exploding or bomb-lance head; 1), ex-' panding flukes; E, exploding-tube; F, fusestem; G, the charge of powder; H, nipple and detonating-cap; l, trigger, catch, and

spring; K, detonating-hamrner and mainspring; L, discharging-rod, and N ring.

Iconstruct the shaft A of hollow metal in two lengths, screwed together about the middle, or where they form the breech and chamher for the charge of powder G. The back part of the tube contains the hammer, spring, and other attachments necessary for exploding the charge of powder G.

The tube E, Fig. 3, is a hollow metal cylinder of suitable size and length to fit in the barrel of the shaft A,as shown in Fig. 2. This cylinder E contains a charge of powder up to the division M, which will be ignited by the explosion of the charge of powder G, shooting the same forward into the body ofthe whale with the lance-head C and fuse-stern F. The fuse in the stem ignites and burns up to the charge P in the lance-head, which, being filled with powder and sharp angular pieces of steel, explodes and acts the same as a bomb, and the efl'ect upon the interior of a whale may be imagined but not described.

arpoons; and I do hereby declare that body of the whale, where the fuse F burns and the lance-head explodes like a bomb, as before statedf At the same time the fiukesD of the shaft A expand and hold on to the whale,

although the lance-head and attachments are gone from the shaft A.

The discharging-rod L and ring and springs N are made of thin metal and placed edge wi se,

, so that in shooting forward and entering the water they will offer but a slight resistance, and not sufficient to act on the trigger till the resistance is received from the solid check of the skin of the whale.

If the harpoon does not penetrate into the body of the whale a suflicient distance to operate on the ring N a small cord is attached to the discharging-rod L, so that itcan be operated on by the man that throws the lance.

A wire is attached to the hammer I and passes through a portion of the wooden handle of the shaft B at O. This is to be used by the hand to draw back the hammer K to cook and prepare the same for action.

A slot is made in the iron shaft or barrel near the breech to allow for placing on the de tonatiug-cap, and the space will be covered by arnbber ring or other water-tight device.

The utility of this improved lance is in compactness and the powerful action as a handharpoon.

Whatl claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The arrangement of the mode of separation of the lance-head C and fuse-tube Ffrom the shaft of the lance, substantially as described.

2. The arrangementof the adjustable hollow explodin g lance-head C, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein set forth and described.

SILAS BARKER.

Witnesses:

WM. VINE, GEORGE W. FRANCIS. 

